He Zi watched and reached into his bosom to pull out a pair of spectacles and put them on.

Zhu Yi had wanted to reach for spectacles several times but didn’t dare, fearing Master would scold him for being undignified in his old age. Now seeing Master take the lead, he quickly pulled out an exquisite pair of small glasses and put them on.

These glasses were also tribute from Murong Yi.

Duan Yande rubbed his eyes and muttered to Qi Ling beside him: “What was the Crown Princess just… doing?”

Qi Ling was a military man with excellent eyesight, but he deeply regretted having good eyes. He said irritably: “Swatting mosquitoes!”

Duan Yande glanced at the capital’s early winter night that was about to frost over.

Minister Gu sat in zen-like meditation, seeing as if not seeing, thinking that indeed he had been too naive back then. The Crown Princess was fundamentally a little rascal. Fortunately she and Xiao Xiao hadn’t caught each other’s eye – if that had really happened, how could Xiao Xiao have handled her?

Just that one peck earlier would have scared Xiao Xiao into falling off the city wall.

Minister Gu silently crossed himself in his heart.

He calculated that he still needed to find someone honest for Xiao Xiao.

But thinking again, someone as honest as Xiao Xiao wouldn’t work either. Two honest children – who would take initiative?

Minister Gu imagined the wedding night – two honest children lying stiffly on the bed, maintaining a safe distance of one chi, neither daring to make the first move, waiting for children to jump out on their own.

Minister Gu’s scalp tingled.

This way, the Crown Princess’s personality was actually quite good.

With her type, the fat grandsons he could hold might be produced much earlier.

The minister’s mind wandered thousands of li, thinking left and right, worrying himself to pieces.

The only one not in the loop was Minister of Justice Jiang. The Minister of Justice, who wasn’t very familiar with anyone, looked left and right, truly not knowing what play this was.

In the middle of the night, someone broke into the palace walls.

Such a shocking event, and no one reported it inside the palace.

Crossbows were deployed, yet the Crown Princess herself climbed onto the palace wall.

Still no one reported to the palace interior. He even saw that Commissioner Tian leading people to the guard house to sleep.

Countless big shots present, none saying a word. Even General Qi, who was in charge of palace defense, paid no attention, all just staring up.

His eyesight was poor and he had no glasses, so he could only see two blurry figures. But the fragrance drifting down from above was truly torturous.

Climbing palace walls in the middle of the night to eat midnight snacks in front of this group of them – what play was this?

Having read for many years, he’d also read about nation-destroying enchantresses in unofficial histories, but no matter how favored or how they caused chaos, none were like this.

Never mind anything else – what exactly did their wise and mighty Crown Princess just do on that palace wall?

Minister Jiang felt he was about to not recognize this world.

On the palace wall, Murong Yi stood up, clasped his hands behind his back and walked a circle on the wall top, saying to the guards below who were watching him eagerly: “Come, remember this face – you’ll be seeing it often! Crossbows are precious, don’t shoot at every turn. Today when I entered the palace you shot crossbows, but next time you’ll have to carry me in with an eight-bearer sedan chair, understand?”

Saying this, he looked at Tie Ci.

Tie Ci crossed her arms and smiled: “Are you willingly becoming a wife?”

Murong Yi just smiled: “These are all empty titles. As long as I get the real benefits from having you.”

Below, He Zi vaguely heard this and frowned, covering his ears.

Couldn’t listen.

Until finally on the palace wall, Tie Ci managed to appease Murong Yi, took away the food box he’d brought, came down from the palace wall, and gave the pastries inside to each of the hungry big shots.

Only then did the endless resentment slightly subside.

While eating crystal buns, He Zi said to Tie Ci: “Knowing beauty and admiring youth – Your Highness choosing this person without fear of death, we as ministers can’t say much. But considering we’re old and frail and can’t withstand much torment, could he climb the palace walls a few times less?”

Duan Yande: “Your Highness, exclusive favor in the pepper chamber has never been a blessing for the imperial family.”

Qi Ling: “Your Highness, do you still remember Qi Yuansi, who ate sand and drank wind for you in the Hanli Khan desert!”

Tie Ci smiled apologetically while escorting several people out the palace gates, nodding frequently.

Only Minister Jiang remained bewildered, chewing his golden melon pastry in confusion, following them out the palace gates in confusion, looking up in confusion at that tall figure above. It wasn’t until he got into his own carriage in confusion that he remembered to ask his colleagues: “After all this talk, who exactly is that person? So arrogant!”

Minister Gu: “An enemy nation’s heir with absolutely no sense of position.”

Qi Ling: “A wall-digger!”

Zhu Yi: “A little hoodlum!”

He Zi: “A nation-destroying enchantress!”

…

With great difficulty, she sent away the big shots and appeased Murong Yi, promising to invite him into the palace to play after a while, finally coaxing him away.

Murong Yi looked like he was also very busy. On one hand, the net cast over the Xiao family was about to be drawn in. On the other hand, he said he was working on his and Tie Ci’s love nest.

According to him, this love nest had to be the best in the capital. From site selection to architecture to design to every flower, grass, stone, and pavilion inside, everything had to be particular. It must balance beauty and safety, becoming a safe house and dwelling place for him and Tie Ci, necessarily a thousand times better than Tie Ci’s imperial palace.

Tie Ci only instructed the spendthrift not to waste money randomly – they would inherit 9,999½ rooms in the future, so why bleed money themselves?

When Tie Ci returned to the palace, Chi Xue reported to her that whether it was the Emperor’s or Noble Consort Jing’s bath water, or those rouge and powder cosmetics, all were non-toxic.

Chi Xue herself understood medical principles and had also shown them to A’kou, who also concluded they were non-toxic.

Duanmu had gone somewhere unknown. Chi Xue left the agreed secret signal requesting a meeting when convenient.

But he wasn’t really a Mei tribe member, and regarding toxicology, he might not be as expert as A’kou. Tie Ci felt reassured.

Late at night, she went to bed to regulate her breathing, carefully circulating her true qi along her meridians.

Ever since discovering her teleportation wasn’t smooth and hearing Rong Pu’s advice, she’d been very careful not to give herself another chance to activate her innate abilities. As she gradually absorbed Chi Fengli’s true power for her own use and her martial prowess gradually maxed out, there were no longer many people in this world who could threaten her life. With her innate abilities and combat experience, even if she encountered Duanmu now, she could run if she couldn’t win.

As her own strength gradually grew, her power reached its peak, enemies were either defeated or about to be defeated, and even the originally seemingly insurmountable emotional problems and opposing identities seemed to pose no problem under Murong Yi’s indifferent attitude and her own gradual arrangements. In just two short years, everything she had struggled and scraped by for over the previous ten years seemed to have been crushed under her feet. She only needed to step on enemy corpses and loser ruins to walk up step by step.

But somehow, in this deep palace quiet night, in this newly renovated and even more magnificent Ruixiang Palace, at this most secure and safe time and place for her in this imperial palace, her heart suddenly surged with emptiness and inexplicable anxiety.

It seemed too smooth.

So much so that she, accustomed to hardships, was becoming uneasy about this easily grasped victory.

But thinking back carefully on this journey, it hadn’t been smooth at all – countless traps, heavy malice. Any misstep anywhere would have meant eternal damnation.

Thinking this way, her heart calmed somewhat. She closed her eyes to focus on breathing regulation.

Suddenly there was knocking outside. She heard from afar the little eunuch answering the door. Soon Little Bug’s voice sounded outside: “Your Highness, are you asleep?”

“What matter?”

“The Cabinet sent a clerk to deliver today’s memorials awaiting approval.”

Tie Ci was stunned.

Chi Xue, who slept on the outer couch, got up and said softly: “I inquired earlier – His Majesty is very diligent in government, ordering memorials sent to Chongming Palace three times daily – morning, noon, and evening. This should be the time for the last batch of documents, but I don’t know why they were sent to you.”

She went out, returning after a while to say: “The Cabinet says before Your Highness went to Yannan, documents were always reviewed by Your Highness. Now that Your Highness has returned, this merely follows old precedent.”

This was true. Previously when Tie Yan first gained power, he wasn’t as familiar with political affairs as Tie Ci and trusted her abilities. He always liked asking Tie Ci’s opinions. Finding this troublesome over time, he ordered memorials from various places to be sent to Tie Ci first for review. Truly important ones would then be selected by the Cabinet for group discussion and his final decision.

But after Tie Ci returned today, no memorials had been delivered, and Tie Ci didn’t mind. First, she’d just returned. Second, during her half-year in Yannan, Father Emperor had gradually gotten the hang of government affairs. While in Yannan, she’d heard the Cabinet was now very obedient, consulting the imperial will on all matters large and small, keeping Father Emperor quite busy.

Since Father Emperor could handle things himself without needing her interference, that was fine too.

Only sending them this late at night…

She asked again: “Is this His Majesty’s meaning?”

If Father Emperor needed her to share his burdens, that would be fine too.

The answer came from outside: “His Majesty naturally knows of this.”

Only then did Tie Ci say: “Bring them in.”

Dan Shuang came in to light lamps, complaining a bit: “You just returned…”

But Chi Xue said: “The Cabinet’s attitude is actually a good thing.”

This meant currently no one in the Cabinet was acting as a check, and they were increasingly wary of the imperial father and daughter.

Tie Ci nodded, sat properly at her desk, opened the memorials, and worked overtime through the night.

At this moment, lights were still on in Chongming Palace.

Tie Yan sat on his couch wearing a cloak, glanced at the Western clock on the stand, and said in surprise: “Why haven’t today’s documents been delivered yet?”

His personal attendant took orders to go inquire. After quite a while, he returned with a somewhat uneasy expression.

Tie Yan: “What is it?”

The attendant hesitated before saying: “The night-duty clerk at the Cabinet said tonight’s documents were all sent to Ruixiang Palace.”

Tie Yan was stunned. After thinking, he said: “Go to Ruixiang Palace and see, bring some pastries.”

The attendant took orders and left. Arriving at Ruixiang Palace, he saw bright lights and servant girls coming and going constantly.

Even the surrounding palace quarters were brightly lit, the entire Eastern Palace area showing a lively, prosperous atmosphere in this cold, quiet night.

The attendant turned back to look at the dark and gloomy section that was Chongming Palace.

This year, due to drought in Zhongzhou and additional military expenses allocated to reinforce Yongping’s army for defending Liaodong in the north, finances were somewhat strained. The palace first reduced expenditures. His Majesty led by example – when staying up late reviewing documents, he wouldn’t bear to light a few extra candles, often straining his eyes until they were red.

The Internal Affairs Bureau had previously said His Majesty wanted to economize, so at night they practically wanted to extinguish all palace lights. Now that the Crown Princess had returned, they immediately became attentive.

He went in to deliver pastries and indeed saw the main hall with Tie Ci’s desk piled high with memorials. He respectfully presented the pastries, conveyed the Emperor’s greetings, and asked Her Highness to rest early and not overwork herself.

Tie Ci stopped writing, looked up and smiled: “I am a military person and don’t feel tired. But seeing Father Emperor looking somewhat haggard upon my return, I imagine it’s from this half-year of toil. Since that’s the case, now that I’ve returned, naturally I can’t let Father Emperor be tired anymore. Please tell Father Emperor on my behalf that for all matters large and small, your son-minister can bear much more. Please ask Father Emperor to take better care of his health.”

The attendant heard this and sighed inwardly, thinking that no matter how deep the affection between this imperial father and daughter, when facing the intoxicating power that drives people mad, they still wouldn’t yield an inch.

Always under such high-sounding banners too.

But he dared not show any of this on his face, smiled in acknowledgment, and withdrew.

Returning to tell Tie Yan, he saw Tie Yan listen with a smile, showing not a trace of dissatisfaction. He sighed again inwardly at imperial composure. Finally seeing Tie Yan’s completely unconcerned manner as he prepared for bed, while helping the Emperor remove his shoes, he couldn’t help saying: “When this old slave went to Ruixiang Palace earlier, the lights were very bright all along the way. In the past, insufficient lighting at night made one afraid to walk night roads. Now it’s good – the Crown Princess has returned.”

He stopped here, secretly observing the Emperor’s expression. He saw Tie Yan pause his movements and stare blankly for a moment, then smile: “Yes, A’ci has returned. The palace has become lively.”

The attendant couldn’t tell if these words were sincere or false, and didn’t dare speculate. But at this moment, Tie Yan turned to look at him and said: “A’ci used to often say strange things to me. There’s one sentence I remember clearly.”

The attendant flattered: “What Your Highness says must all be golden words. I wonder if this old slave has the fortune to hear them.”

Tie Yan said slowly: “Villains die from talking too much.”

The attendant: “…”